A Disunited Kingdom? Brexit, Social Media And The Rise Of Polarisation Through Echo Chambers

Abstract

On the 23rd June 2016, the ‘Brexit’ referendum was held in the UK. Although it was intended by British politicians to unite the country amid the brewing Eurosceptism, it resulted in creating a country that is more divided than ever. With the rise of social media, Facebook was a key component for both Leave and Remain to use during campaigning. As such, this thesis aims to provide insights into the dynamics of polarisation on Facebook that occurred during the 2016 Brexit Referendum campaign. It explores the process of online polarisation and proposes a way to operationalise and measure its resonance and dissemination, through the use of mechanisms defined by Charles Tilly and his collaborators. The thesis analyses (1) the Facebook pages of both sides of the campaign, Leave and Remain, and (2) a pro-EU media outlet Facebook page, The Guardian. By analysing these pages, this thesis identifies the echo chambers Leave and Remain voters situated themselves in. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis is used throughout the thesis, studying reactions, shares and comments on posts found on the Facebook pages. In doing so, the presence of mechanisms that facilitated a polarising political divide in society are identified. Whilst it has been almost 20 years since online polarisation was first predicted, this thesis explains how the increase in internet access and the rise in social media usage has exacerbated online polarisation. Through using the case of Brexit, this thesis highlights online polarisation as a significant issue that will continue to spread unless measures are taken to reduce and combat it.